November 2020
Tropical Storm Eta shows need
for stormwater upgrades
The municipal elections are now behind us. This cycle was the first ever held in November in conjunction with the presidential race, and I am happy so many residents voted. In fact, it was a record number of people who voted for the mayor and a commissioner. Many thanks to everyone who took part in our city election.

I look forward to continuing to work with a tremendous team of colleagues both on the City Commission and in city management over the next four years. Our goal is to improve our quality of life and keep Fort Lauderdale the great community it is. 

Having said that, we already are witnessing new challenges facing us. 

After a brief brush with Hurricane Isaias, it appeared Fort Lauderdale would emerge from an extraordinarily active Atlantic storm season unscathed. But then came Tropical Storm Eta, and many low-lying parts of our city experienced heavy flooding never seen before. 

Allow me to talk for a minute about what happened and what the city did to prepare. 

While not a powerful storm, Eta was very large in the area covered by its rain bands. They were unusually intense, and South Florida was on the stronger side of the storm. During its course over South Florida, Eta dropped up to 14 inches of rain within a matter of hours. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime deluge. In one day, some areas saw four times the amount of rain they do in a whole season!

But even worse, the storm came on the heels of a rainy October. The groundwater table was extremely saturated already and could not absorb the additional rainfall brought by Eta. 

The city mobilized before the storm. 

Almost 6,000 sandbags were filled and distributed. Public works crews began days in advance of the storm to clean and inspect storm drains and reduce stormwater retention levels as much as possible given the circumstances I already stated. 

Those crews pumped water out of saturated neighborhoods that have drainage challenges like Melrose Park and Melrose Manors. We contracted for extra giant water vacuum trucks, increasing our fleet from five to 23. They pumped out as much water as they could in advance of the storm … and even while it was on top of us. 

After the storm, the city conducted rapid impact assessments to determine the extent of flooding and coordinate our response in critical areas. 

City crews engaged in around-the-clock pumping, but the additional rain we’ve received in the days after has not helped. Gov. DeSantis’ state emergency management team, including Jared Moskowitz, reached out to us and we obtained a pledge for additional pumper trucks. We also worked with the county and state regarding our ability to discharge the water collected outside our city stormwater system.

While the flooding has been a priority, the city has been busy elsewhere as a result of Eta. Rescue crews assisted with numerous vehicles stalled in high water. We also cleared sand from State Road A1A and nearby areas. 
So, what’s our plan going forward? 

And after years of preparation, a major stormwater infrastructure upgrade was approved in September. The City Commission voted to commence construction in seven areas that frequently flood either because of high tides or heavy rain. 

These areas are Durrs, Dorsey Riverbend, Edgewood, Progresso Village, River Oaks and Victoria Park as well as the greater Southeast Isles area of the Las Olas Isles and Rio Vista.

The city will add tidal control valves, exfiltration trenches, catch basins, permeable pavement, swales, force mains, pump stations and stormwater pipes. The work will cost about $200 million and take five years to complete.

Designs for the next phase of improvements will also begin. Round 2 encompasses Flagler Village, Harbour Inlet, Harbour Isles, Melrose Manors, Riverland, Sailboat Bend and Tarpon Bend.

However, I think TS Eta shows the need for some re-evaluation. 

The city’s prioritization of areas was set with the assistance of environmental consultants who studied our flood history and existing infrastructure. But TS Eta has shown that there are areas not slated for work until Phase 2 that have very serious problems now. 

I want to discuss with staff and my commission colleagues what can be done expedite a response to their needs. This is especially true for the Melrose Park and Melrose Manors areas.

In closing, I want to mention a couple pieces of good news. 

In late October, we activated the section of the new sewer line that runs from the sewer treatment plant at the port under the New River to the Beverly Heights area. This replaces the line that has been so plagued with problems.

The entire 7-mile project is more than 60 percent complete and on track to be finished ahead of an already aggressive schedule. As we complete additional segments of the new line, we will transfer as much service as we can to minimize the possibility of future breaks. 

Also, we conducted a successful and safe version of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. 

It was a significantly smaller crowd, and we put into place dozens of measures to ensure public health was protected amid the COVID-19 pandemic. People in the industry tell me that they had strong sales, and it also boosted other local businesses. That’s tremendously important for our economy as we try to navigate through COVID-19. 

So as we approach the holiday season, I hope we can all find ways to enjoy our families, our friends, and the spirit of the season, while still remaining safe. Let us all appreciate the good things that come our way, and try to help out others that have suffered personal setbacks, especially as a result of the impact of COVID-19. Stay well my friends.

Yours,


Dean
Mayor Trantalis presents a proclamation to Mexico's Consul General Jonathan Chait during a Day of the Dead celebration.
Mayor Trantalis joins with residents and student volunteers from Dillard High to participate in the return of the Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep.
Mayor Trantalis joins other dignitaries to open the new athletic stadium at Lockhart Park. The opening football game featured the Fort Lauderdale High and Dillard High.
Mayor Trantalis joins Vice Mayor Glassman to break ground a new townhome project in Lake Ridge built by Defined Companies and Contempo Construction Group.
Mayor Trantalis opens the 61st annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show with help of other local officials and show sponsors.
Mayor Trantalis turns on the new sewer pipe that runs from the treatment plant at Port Everglades to the Beverly Heights neighborhood.